Summer has finally arrived—not officially. But the days are warming up, and school is winding down. So I want to remind you of some changes to the church calendar and tell you about our search for an assistant pastor who will be directly responsible for our youth and their families.
Wednesday evening dinners have stopped for the summer, as well as most "regular" mid-week activities. Mission: Chattanooga will be in full swing beginning next week. Many opportunities for ministry both on and off campus are available. If you have questions, please call Pastor Mullinax or Deacon Bob Cary or Deacon Todd Smith. They’d be glad to give you the information you need to decide how you and your family can minister to the needs of others during the next few weeks.
One important activity continuing here at church is the gathering of friends and members of CPC for prayer. Deacon Doug McEachern will lead them in intercession for the church, both local and around the world, praying for circumstances and people whose situations and needs have been brought to their attention.
The Personnel Committee of the session, along with a search committee appointed by the session are busy receiving and reviewing inquiries about our need for a new assistant pastor for our youth and their families.
The members of the Personnel Committee are Elders Tom Schreiner, Ken Henry, Tom Lowe, Jerry King and Chairman of the Diaconate, Todd Smith. Assisting them in this important effort as members of the Search Committee are Geff Adams, Heidie Armao, Tracy Brown, Ken Henry, Tracy Horton and Lori Rogers.
Please, ask the Lord to give them wisdom as they advise the session about possible candidates. Senior and associate pastors are called by the congregation. Assistant pastors are called by the session, and therefore the session has immediate responsibility for the process – just as was true when we were looking for a director of music ministries.
I’m eager to see how God will lead. When Todd stepped down, many wondered if our music ministry would ever be the same. Of course, that was the wrong concern. Of course it would never be the same.
God has wonderfully answered our prayers in providing Jeremy to serve as our director of music ministries. And, in many ways, things are not the same. How could they be? Todd and Jeremy are not the same person. They have different gifts and abilities. But one thing that is the same is the zeal, desire and willingness to work hard to prepare us to bring our very best before the Lord in worship.
Zack is no longer our assistant pastor. And things will never be the same. How
could they be? No one is going to step in with precisely the same gifts as Zack or do things the same as Zack did them.
But CPC will continue to be, as it has throughout its twenty-year history, a family-friendly church. We will continue to minister to our children and youth, as well as their parents. Precisely what that will look like I can’t tell you, anymore than I could have told you what the music ministry would look like after Todd stepped down.
But we can see (and hear) what God has done. So like the Psalmist, remembering how God has blessed us in the past, we can with confidence await the days to come, eager to see how God will bless us.
Pastor Caines